Dyeing of textiles is often considered to be the most important and expensive single step in the manufacturing of textile fabrics and garments. In the textile industry, two major types of processes are currently used for dyeing, i.e., batch and continuous. In the batch process, among others, jets, drums, and vat dyers are used. In continuous processes, among others, padding systems are used. See, e.g., I. D. Rattee, In C. M. Carr (Ed.), "The Chemistry of the Textiles Industry," Blackie Academic and Professional, Glasgow, 1995, p. 276.
The major classes of dyes are azo (mono-, di-, tri-, etc.), carbonyl (anthraquinone and indigo derivatives), cyanine, di- and triphenylmethane and phthalocyanine. All these dyes contain chromophoric groups which give rise to color. There are three types of dyes involving an oxidation/reduction mechanism, i.e., vat, sulfur and azoic dyes. The purpose of the oxidation/reduction step in these dyeings are to change the dyestuff between an insoluble and a soluble form.
Oxidoreductases, e.g., oxidases and peroxidases, are well known in the art.
One class of oxidoreductases is laccases (benzenediol:oxygen oxidoreductases) which are multi-copper containing enzymes that catalyze the oxidation of phenols and related compounds. Laccase-mediated oxidation results in the production of aromatic radical intermediates from suitable substrates; the ultimate coupling of the intermediates so produced provides a combination of dimeric, oligomeric, and polymeric reaction products. Such reactions are important in nature in biosynthetic pathways which lead to the formation of melanin, alkaloids, toxins, lignins, and humic acids.
Another class of oxidoreductases are peroxidases which oxidize compounds in the presence of hydrogen peroxide.
Laccases have been found to be useful for hair dyeing. See, e.g., PCT applications Ser. No. PCT/US95/06815 and PCT/US95/06816. European Patent No. 0504005 discloses that laccases can be used for dyeing wool at a pH in the range of between 6.5 and 8.0.
Saunders et al., Peroxidase, London, 1964, p. 10 ff. disclose that peroxidases act on various amino and phenolic compounds resulting in the production of a color.
Japanese Patent Application publication no. 6-316874 discloses a method for dyeing cotton comprising treating the cotton with an oxygen-containing medium, wherein an oxidation reduction enzyme selected from the group consisting of ascorbate oxidase, bilirubin oxidase, catalase, laccase, peroxidase, and polyphenol oxidase is used to generate the oxygen.
WO 91/05839 discloses that oxidases and peroxidases are useful for inhibiting the transfer of textile dyes.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an enzymatic method of dyeing textile fabrics.